Piazza Italia is Beijing’s one and only Italian food-culture experience. This grand, three-floor space houses imported Italian food products from cheese to olive oil, cooking ware, Italian wine, a cooking school, a supermarket, a bar, banquet rooms and an upscale restaurant. Recently, Boscolo Etoile Academy, located on second floor, started their weeknight cooking classes (from 7-9pm) run by Executive Chef Vincenzo Pezzilli. For RMB 500 (classes include all materials and a cooking kit to make the dish again at home), food lovers are taught the fundamentals to Italian cooking, Italian pasty, Italian wine, and much more. Check out their website to find out more or visit Piazza Italia to sign up for classes.

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The creative chef and owner of W Dine and Wine, Geoffrey Weckx has introduced a new dining concept using Cocotte (“koh-kot”), a cast-iron pot traditionally used for stews. It has become one of the hottest cookware in modern kitchens and restaurants. In French, “la cocotte” means both “casserole” and “darling.” Designed and made by French cookware STAUB, cast-iron cocottes’ heat-retaining, flavor-enhancing, indestructible practicality produces tender and flavorful stews. Read more...

It's amazing how much a place can change. When Room 101 closed its doors with a big bash at the end of October, the grungy 24-hour live music venue felt cramped and gloomy. Now, just over a month later comes Ginkgo, a stylish bar and restaurant split over two floors, that bears little resemblance to my blurred memories of the lovable dive.

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Situated in the geographical nexus of party time and cogitation time, Rendezvous is in the perfect part of town for a study bar. A couple of doors down from D-22 on Chengfu Lu, this comfy bar/cafe occupies the basement floor of the impressive three-tier Urban Backyard compound. Quarry-stone stacked walls set a lithic tone, as ceiling track spotlights and Ikea lamps share the task of illuminating eager undergraduates. The bookshelves buttressing the cafe-style main room display a quizzical mix of Reader's Digest condensed novels and budget editions of Wuthering Heights, while a convertible boardroom/dance floor/English Corner (daily 7-9pm)/film screening nook is set adjacent.

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Tucked away down a quite alley, Club Sandwich offers a welcoming atmosphere with comfy sofas, Wi-Fi access, and unobtrusive sounds of David Bowie and Led Zeppelin. A quick glance down the menu sets the stomach rumbling with mention of gourmet sandwiches filled with roast beef, prosciutto, gouda, olives, avocado, parmesan, brie, and much more. Sandwiches range from RMB 25-45, whilst a dozen salads (RMB 25-35), flatbread pizzas (RMB 25-RMB), freshly squeezed juices, coffees, and beers were also available. They also screen American comedies every Thursday at 8pm.

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Last week we mentioned the star-studded opening of the Yintai Center - three huge new towers located on the southwest corner of the Guomao intersection. The arrival of this new landmark means that the ugly blue fencing along the south side of Jianguomen Waidajie has come down and the whole area is starting to look and feel a lot more pedestrian friendly. At the very top of the tallest of Yintai’s three towers, surrounded by a red glow at night, you can find Beijing’s highest bar and restaurant, the Park Hyatt hotel’s China Bar (65/F) and the high-class China Grill restaurant (66/F). Today is the perfect opportunity to head up and admire the views from the top of the 249m tower, as not only will you be able to peer down on the nearly-completed CCTV Headquarters, but you’ll also be able to catch sight of the mountains to the north and west of Beijing, and just maybe, the Bird’s Nest off to the north.

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Mid-October to mid-February is peak time for dining on Shanghai’s beloved crustacean: the hairy crab 大闸蟹 (dàzháxiè). During this time, the waters at the Yangtze River delta turns colder, forcing crabs to move less and thus fatten from inactivity and produce roe for the mating season.

These crabs are available in most upscale Chinese restaurants. Almost all five-star hotels will carry them. Some places will let you pick which crab you want to eat. Be sure to pick the bigger ones that smell somewhat sweet. Turn them upside down to check their bottom flap for coral-colored roe. These are best eaten when steamed and dipped in sweetened black rice vinegar with thin slices of ginger. At Noble Court inside the Grand Hyatt, they go all out with XO sauces and home made chili dips.

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Bei inside The Opposite House, a boutique hotel in Sanlitun, is a hip and modern restaurant offering contemporary cuisine from Japan, Korea and Northern China. Chef Max Levy is originally from Louisiana and has worked in several New York City kitchens such as Megu and Sushi Yasuda.

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Maxim’s, the iconic Paris restaurant synonymous with la Belle Epoque, is today Maxim’s de Paris, a brand owned by Pierre Cardin, with nine branches around the world. The latest is Maxim’s de Paris at the Solana Mall.

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It’s rare that your humble map correspondent ever has anything exciting to report – aside from the release of another Immersion Guides Area Guide – but this time, something finally sparks among the usual slurry of openings and closings.

We are elated to announce that Sanlitun Fall 2008 Area Guide brings you Beijing’s best hot dogs. Perfectly juicy, bursting with flavor, these frankfurters are both delicious and cheap. The delightful Mr. Wei starts grilling only after you order, so the sausage arrives piping hot and the bun lightly toasted. This belies the humble hot dog stand’s name, No More Bunz, but we can’t complain – it would be hard to hold together that mountain of toppings and drizzles of mustard and ketchup without a trusty bun.

Opened by a Canadian, No More Bunz is one of the most cheerful little spots to open in Sanlitun. Unlike the meticulously designed and marketed restaurants and bars that have lately graced Sanlitun, this humble hot dog stand focuses all its attention upon the food. There’s no fancy concept here, no mirrored walls or cushy booths. There are, in fact, no chairs at all at No More Bunz – little more than an opening in the wall – but the hot dogs are so good that you won’t mind.

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